Franco Bitossi and his Team of Para Athletes

Claudio Puccetti, Italian para time trial champion begins his ride.

Our good friend Franco Bitossi, the great Italian champion of the 60s and 70s, with 147 professional victories, is the honorary president of the "IntegraTeam - Dis & Abili". This team, composed of about 20 athletes, was founded in 2004 thanks to the support of a few sponsors. Its goal is to integrate amateur riders with disabled cyclists. Currently the team has several champion para-athletes, including the current holder of the World Hour Record, the 2006 time trial Italian Champion and the 2006 World Road Champion.

Franco Bitossi himself is no stranger to physical challenges, having been plagued with heart troubles his entire career. At one point during the 1964 Giro d'Italia, a tachycardia attack forced him to stop riding in the middle of a stage. After the attack subsided, he resumed riding and completed the stage. But the catastrophic time loss cost him a likely victory in the Italian national Tour. If his time is calculated without the time loss caused by the attack, he ends up well ahead of the eventual winner, Jacques Anquetil.

He and his son Massimiliano support the team with passion and participate in all the team's races and social activities.